


It Had Stars On It

by ViimaTheFailcat



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Absolutecontrolshipping Week, Alternate Universe, First Meetings, M/M, Reincarnation, Team Rainbow Rocket (Pokemon)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-06-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:01:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24792019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ViimaTheFailcat/pseuds/ViimaTheFailcat
Summary: Giovanni recruits Cyrus for Team Rainbow Rocket, but it somehow feels like he's known him for decades already.
Relationships: Akagi | Cyrus/Sakaki | Giovanni
Comments: 9
Kudos: 48





	It Had Stars On It

**Author's Note:**

> Walking into ACS week 2020 two weeks late with a bottle of room temperature water like waddup what'd I miss?
> 
> To my defence, I was busy on the actual week and then the DLC dropped and uuuhhh

1 - RAINBOW ROCKET

“You must be Cyrus,” the man in a black suit asked.

Cyrus gave him a long look, from head to toe. “Who are you?”

The man smirked, tilting his head back to look at Cyrus down his nose. “You don’t know me? The leader of Team Rainbow Rocket?”

Cyrus narrowed his eyes. He has heard of Team Rocket, but Team  _ Rainbow  _ Rocket? “Why are you here?”

The man shrugged idly, digging the red soil with the tip of his immaculate shoe. “Was this what you wanted? A world that makes no sense and constantly shifts?”

The words were like a slap. It was not what Cyrus had expected. How had he known? That Cyrus had regretted coming here almost immediately. This world he had confined himself in was slowly driving him mad. Even when Cyrus had captured this world’s creator and recruited it to his team, Cyrus was convinced this world wanted him dead. The landmasses would suddenly shift under his feet and create deep ravines, trying to trap Cyrus in.

“I can take you away from here,” the man continued, voice deep and enticing. “Join me, and I’ll take you away from here and give you a high position in my organization.”

Cyrus didn’t even ask what it would cost him.

2 - CONTACT

The man (who later had introduced himself as Giovanni) explained Cyrus his plan. He aimed to collect team leaders from other worlds and unite them under the banner of Team Rainbow Rocket.

Cyrus didn’t see any point in it, but it was better than the Distortion World.

Not to mention that the new “teammates” that Giovanni brought in after him were insufferable. First, a few weeks after Cyrus, came Maxie and Archie from Hoenn who were at each other’s throats at all times. But still, Cyrus had a feeling that they were five seconds away from ripping each other’s clothes off. Second, a week after them, came Lysandre from Kalos, who was a man of contradictions. Outwardly he was haughty and snooty, but Cyrus could hear him cry in his room at nights. Last came Ghetsis from Unova… 

Dear Arceus,  _ Ghetsis. _ Where could Cyrus even  _ begin  _ with him? He  _ despised  _ the Unovan. He was even haughtier than Lysandre and more aggressive than Maxie and Archie combined. He kept arguing with Giovanni, refusing to obey anyone’s orders. He was so convinced that he was so far above everyone else that he didn’t need to listen to other people’s suggestions or work with them. Ghetsis had to be one of the most unpleasant people Cyrus had the displeasure of working with and he had worked with  _ Mars _ .

“I don’t know how you do it,” Cyrus huffed in frustration as he strode into Giovanni’s office.

Giovanni looked up from his paperwork with a quirked brow. “Do what?”

“Deal with the Unovan tree man.”

“Now, now,” Giovanni said with a grin, “That’s an insult to trees.”

Despite himself, a surprised scoff of laughter escaped him. “I thought you liked him.”

“Ah,” Giovanni breathed, holding a finger up, “I  _ tolerate _ him. Big difference. Mamma might have raised a bastard, but she raised a bastard with  _ manners _ . The sign of a good businessman is that he can talk to people he doesn’t like without insulting them.”

“Which Ghetsis apparently can’t,” Cyrus said dryly.

Giovanni hummed. “He’s an insufferable bastard with an ego as big as his hair. The best thing you can do is to play along with his delusions and make him think that your ideas are his.”

“Is that how you deal with him?” Cyrus asked, moving to lean on Giovanni’s desk.

“You don’t get to where I am without learning to twist people around your finger, carino,” Giovanni smirked.

Carino. Cyrus didn’t know what that word meant, but hearing Giovanni call him that never failed to send a jolt of warmth in his chest. And yet it felt so familiar, like Giovanni had called him that for years.

“Is that what you did with me?” Cyrus asked before he realised it. “Twist me around your finger?” Cyrus glanced down at Giovanni’s hands, his short, but thick fingers, adorned with a golden ring with stars on it. Cyrus thought he saw the tail end of the constellation for The Original One.

Giovanni’s smirk widened. He seemed aware of Cyrus’ gaze falling down to his hands because he made a show of steepling his fingers. “No, carino. The difference between you and the rest of the rabble here is that I respect you more than anyone else here combined.”

Cyrus watched Giovanni’s face, gauging his expression. He’s never been good at reading people. Logically, he had no idea if Giovanni was being sincere or if he was just saying that to “wrap Cyrus around his finger”, so to speak. But… still, one part of Cyrus trusted him. One large part.

Meanwhile, Giovanni’s expression softened. The smirk fell, but not because of a lack of good spirits. This was more of a lowering of a shield, of a cocky facade. “I’m serious, you know,” he murmured.

Cyrus nodded. “I know,” Cyrus said, voice just as quiet.

Giovanni smiled, a genuine, happy smile, not a cocky smirk or an arrogant grin.

3 - GIFTS

A few months after joining Rainbow Rocket, Cyrus finally had another look at the clothes he had been wearing in the Distortion World. He had had them washed, then just shoved them in his near-empty closet and refused to think about them again. They were visually identical to the clothes he usually wore, but more torn from the few weeks he spent in the Distortion World. They were still technically wearable, but Cyrus refused to look at them again because they reminded him of the maddening shifting of the world.

But, still. Cyrus didn’t know what possessed him to dig those clothes from his closet. Carefully, like they were filled with scorupi, Cyrus unfolded the jacket and inspected it. It was just as torn and tattered as he remembered.

Memories of Cyrus trying to get a drink of stale, lukewarm water before the shore shifts and drains the pond before his eyes. Memories of Cyrus eating the tough, tasteless leaves that occasionally grew in Distortion World. The ground giving in under Cyrus’ feet as he tried to walk.

Cyrus tossed the jacket on his bed in disgust. Something fell to the floor with a faint clink and bounced under his bed.

A pause, before Cyrus bent down to inspect. Something metallic glittered in the dark back at him. With a swift swipe of a hand, Cyrus captured the small object. He turned it in his hand.

A ring.

A gift from his grandfather. A gift that Cyrus had held on to. It wasn’t even a particularly valuable ring, all the value it held in Cyrus’ eyes was all sentiment. It had disgusted Cyrus how he had been too weak to leave it behind.

Those thoughts evaporated like morning dew when Cyrus took a closer look at the ring. Stars… It had stars on it. The constellation for The Original One, which is why Cyrus’ grandfather had gotten it for him.

Giovanni… Didn’t he have the same ring?

4 - AU

“So you’re my betrothed?” the man in red-and-black clothes asked.

Cyrus just nodded, voice failing him. His hands twisted his hanbok’s sleeves nervously.

The man gave him a head-to-toe look while his hand toyed with a small box. “My name is Giovanni, of the Sakaki clan.” 

Cyrus bowed, glad that he could finally look anywhere except Giovanni’s deep eyes. “Cyrus, of the Kim clan.”

Giovanni, too, bowed and held the box out with both hands. “I hope you find this gift adequate.”

Cyrus took the box with shaking hands. It opened with a quiet click, revealing a ring inside. It had stars on it. The constellation for The Original One.

“Let me put it on you,” Giovanni said, voice husky. He gently took Cyrus’ left hand, setting Cyrus’ blood on fire.

The ring settled on Cyrus’ finger, a little too large for him. 

***

Cyrus bent his head to receive the gold medal to be hung around his neck. His face was a careful mask of indifference, but on the inside, he was roiling. Overwhelming happiness and pride. And gratefulness. Can’t forget gratefulness. After all, he wouldn’t be here without…

His coach. Giovanni.

Cyrus’s eyes sought him out in the crowd. When he finally saw him, looking like he was going to burst out of pride, Cyrus lifted the gold medal up, as if he was lifting a glass for a toast. He kissed the medal, still keeping eye contact.

Giovanni bit his lip and smiled.

After what felt like an eternity, Cyrus could finally get off the ice and hide in the dressing room.

The door opened. “Congratulations, amore,” Giovanni said as he stepped in.

Cyrus pulled a sweatshirt on. “Thank you. I couldn’t have done it without you.”

“It was a team effort,” Giovanni said with a modest shrug. “Here, I got something for you.” He retrieved a small box from his pocket.

Cyrus lifted an eyebrow as he took it. A ring box? “You do know that giving a ring as a gift usually means-”

“Just open it,” Giovanni huffed.

Cyrus did and his eyes widened. A simple, silver band. It had stars on it. The constellation for The Original One.

“I saw it and it made me think of you,” Giovanni said, “because you like stars and all that.”

“I love it,” Cyrus said.

***

Cyrus ran his fingers through his hair, frowning down at the essay on the screen. The letters were starting to blur into each other, turning into an illegible fog.

Footsteps behind him. “Are you still up?” Giovanni asked, stepping into the living room. “Come to bed.”

“I need to grade these essays,” Cyrus muttered, rubbing his eyes.

“You can continue that tomorrow,” Giovanni replied, hugging Cyrus from behind, over the couch’s backrest.

“It’s fine,” Cyrus objected, “I need to get these graded by the end of the week and I calculated that if I stay up three hours and forty-five minutes later than usual, I’ll make it by Friday. It’s fine.” He sighed heavily. “It’s fine.”

“That’s four hours, amore,” Giovanni said.

“It’s just for this week.”

Giovanni sighed and circled around the couch, sitting next to Cyrus. “Can I help?”

Cyrus raised an eyebrow. “You’re an archaeology professor. You don’t know anything about astronomy.”

Giovanni’s face fell. “H-hey, I know… something.” 

Cyrus gave him a flat look. “Like what.”

Giovanni hesitated. “H-how constellations inspired people to make clay star maps and other items depicting constellations.”

“Interesting, but not relevant to these essays.”

“Mm. Did you know that archaeologists in Sinnoh found a ring depicting a constellation?” Giovanni asked, shifting to his lecture voice.

Despite still having work to do, Cyrus leant back on the couch. “I did not.”

“They did. The news broke out just today. It’s believed that it belonged to an esteemed seafarer.

Cyrus shook his head and rubbed his eyes. “You’re trying to lull me to sleep.”

Giovanni grinned. “Is it working?”

Cyrus sighed into his hands. “I really need to get these graded...”

“Your students will understand if their grades are a little late. Come to bed, amore.”

Cyrus whined. “Are there photos of the ring?”

“Come to bed and I’ll show you.”

And Cyrus did. And Giovanni kept his word and showed Cyrus photos of the ring. It had stars on it. The constellation for The Original One.

***

It had stars…

Cyrus woke up.

5 - KISS

“I had the weirdest dream last night,” Giovanni mused, setting a plate of eggs and toast in front of Cyrus.

Cyrus hummed. He had also had a weird dream (or a ton of weird dreams), but he also believed that dreams held no real meaning.

“You were in it,” Giovanni continued, sitting down to tuck into his own breakfast.

Cyrus looked up from his toast. “Hmm?”

“Yeah. I think we were…” Giovanni paused. “University professors, or something…”

“And you showed me a ring that some archaeologists found,” Cyrus said.

Giovanni blinked in surprise. “How did you know?”

“I had the same dream. Like we had several lives together before,” Cyrus said.

“Yeah,” Giovanni said, sounding slightly far-off. ”It felt surprisingly realistic.”

Cyrus hummed.

Giovanni’s phone started ringing, drawing the two out of their reverie. Giovanni answered the call. “What is it?” After a few pauses and “hmm”s, Giovanni hung up with a sigh. “I have to go ahead. Ghetsis is terrorizing the grunts again.”

“Alright,” Cyrus said, struggling to come up with something else to say. “Have fun at work” wouldn’t work right now. ”Stay safe.”

Giovanni smiled as he stood up. ”I will, amore.” He left his coffee cup in the sink and pressed a kiss on top of Cyrus’ head as he walked past.

Cyrus didn’t even realise what had happened until the door clanked closed.

6 - GOODBYE

The takeover on Aether Paradise had failed.

“Giovanni, we’ve done this before,” Cyrus said, trying to keep up with Giovanni. 

Giovanni looked up from the device he was fiddling with, but not stopping his brisk walk. “Done what?”

Cyrus hesitated. How could he tell Giovanni that the two have met and fallen in love countless times before?

Giovanni sighed, a little impatiently. “Listen, carino. Amore. We can talk about this later. Right now we need to get our stuff and vamoose.”

“I agree.” Cyrus refocused.

The two separated to their rooms to get their things. Only the essentials. Then they met again in the lounge.

”What about the others?” Cyrus asked.

Giovanni snorted a laugh. ”Do you really want to drag Ghetsis around?”

Cyrus pursed his lips. Fair enough.

Giovanni pulled him close. ”You’re the only one I want or need out of these idiots.”

Not having expected that, Cyrus froze in shock. Giovanni used the moment to pull him close. 

”Ready to go? Do you have everything?”

Cyrus nodded, still speechless.

Giovanni wrapped his arm firmly around Cyrus’ waist and clicked his small device. A portal opened and Giovanni turned to Cyrus.

“Say goodbye to Alola.”

They stepped through the portal together.

7 - FREE DAY (RING)

”I think I lost a ring,” Giovanni murmured, stretching against Cyrus. ”Or left it in the previous world.”

Cyrus rolled over and watched his face. He looked so sleepy... Cyrus ran the tip of his finger down Giovanni’s cheek. ”Which one?”

Giovanni shrugged. ”It wasn’t an important one. The one with stars.”

Cyrus’ fingers twitched. He sat up. ”Hold on.” He got out of the bed, to which Giovanni protested quietly. Cyrus dug through his uniform pockets and found the old ring. He returned to the bed and cuddled back to Giovanni’s side.

Giovanni stirred awake as Cyrus slipped the ring on his finger. He blinked and lifted his hand to his face. His eyes widened. ”How did you find it?”

”It doesn’t matter,” Cyrus murmured. ”I found it again like I found you again.”

Cyrus felt Giovanni’s chest rumble in a quiet chuckle. ”Like we always do. We’ll always find each other.”

Cyrus hummed in agreement and kissed him.

Giovanni had cost him a ring that Cyrus had gotten from his grandfather, but… now Cyrus found that he didn’t mind Giovanni having it. It was too big on him anyway. 

It had cost him only a ring.


End file.
